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Jeter plays long toss, but no timetable on return

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Girardi on Jeter's status 0:23

4/3/13: Yankees manager Joe Girardi explains that Derek Jeter will be an everyday player when he returns from injury

By Bryan Hoch
/
MLB.com |

NEW YORK -- Yankees captain Derek Jeter played long-toss and performed strengthening exercises on Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., but he is not expected to be ready to come off the disabled list when eligible on Saturday.

Jeter has not played in a game since March 23, when he grounded out four times as the designated hitter in a Minor League contest. Jeter felt soreness in his surgically repaired left ankle the next day and has been largely out of action since that date.

"Our expectation is that he is going to be an everyday player again," manager Joe Girardi said. "It's just when is what we're concerned about, and how long it takes for him to get through what he needs to get through to be that everyday player."

The Yankees have said that they will only activate Jeter if he proves that he is able to play nine innings of shortstop in back-to-back games, and not as a designated hitter.

Jeter did not play any more than five innings in the field this spring with New York. While the Yankees wait for Jeter, Eduardo Nunez will continue to see duty as the team's everyday shortstop.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.